Vehicle signal



sept. 4, 192s. 1,683,278

' V. ALTMAN VEHICLE SIGNAL v Filed May 11, 1927 Patented Sept. 4, 1928.

tenais Unirse stares' 'VLADISLAV ALTMAN, OF RACINE, VIISCONSIN.

VEHICLE SIGNAL.

Application nea nay 11, 1927. seriai No. 190,402.

5 nals ofthe general type shown andv described in Letters Patent No.1,579,853, granted to me on April 6, 1926. The ordinary danger ordirection-indicating signal used on automobiles, as well'as stop and gostreet-crossing signals include a lamp and a colored lens through whichthe light rays' from the lamp are transmitted and correspondinglyVcolored. Such a signal is entirely satisfactory for night work butisoften misleading in the daytime. if a driver approaches such a signalwith the sun behind him, the reflected sunlight rays from the coloredglass will give the latter the same appearance that it has when the raysfrom the lamp are transmitted through the glass. Hence, under thesecircumstances, the signal is liable to be misread. In my former LettersPatent above identilied, I have disclosed a vehicle signal comprising alamp and a colored translucent curtain that is movable bodily betweenoperative and inoperative positions relatively vto the lamp, and whenmoved into operative position wherein it surrounds the lamp, the

vlatter may be lighted at the same time that the sleeve is moved intosuch position. Normally. during daylight running, the colored sleeve isout of sight, so that Jr'alse reading oi' the signal due to relectedsunlight is impossible.

My present invention is based upon the same. broad principle as theydevice of my former Letters Patent, but is designedto provide a simplerand a more compact embodiment oi this principle, and one which willrequire less movement of the manual signal-operating means. ln carryingout the present invention, l employ, in connection with a lamp, acurtain-consisting of one or a group ot' translucent color-displayingmembers mounted in front of or around the lamp, uncolored on one sideand colored on the opposite side and capable of being turned so as topresent to external View either the uncolored side or sides or thecolored side or sides. The operating mechanism for said curtain is soset that normally it will present to external view only its white oruncolored side, and when the signal is to be announced, it is turned soas to present to external view its colored side, the lamp colored.

being simultaneously lighted when the signal is displayed at night.

The invention, in several practical forms in which it maybe embodied, isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a verticalaxialrsection of one form oi the device;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the lline 2 2 of Fig. 1; i V

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan View; 'F ig. 4 is a horizontal section, similarto Fig. 2, showing a modified form of curtain; Fig. 5 is-a sectionaldetail showing the curtain pieces of Fig. 4 equipped with acolor-rectifying member. y i

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, designates a `circularbase plate formed with a depending peripheral flange 11, and'12designatesa white glass dome or cover mounted on and attached to thebase plate 10 by a clamp ring 13 threading onto the flange 11. @n thecenter of the base plate 10 is a hollow boss 14 onto which is lscrewed asocket to receive the neck of an electric lamp 17. boss 14`is a sleeve18A within which is tightly fitted a hollow plug 19 carrying an upwardlyspring-pressed terminal Contact vmember 20, to the lower end ot' whichis connected an electric circuit wire 21 controlled by a switch (notshown) .for lighting and extinguishing the lamp.

Surrounding the lamp' 17 is a curtain composed ot a circular group ot'vertical cylindrical members 220i' glass or other translucent material.lThe member 22-is so con.- structed that one longitudinal half of itsperiphery will be colored and the kother unby making each cylinder 22 inmating halves 22fL and 22h oi colored and uncolored glass respectively..Mounted in the lower end of eachl cylinder 22 is a spindle 23journale'd in the base 10 and carrying on its lower ene a pinion 24; andsimilarly mounted in the This may be conveniently eiiectedv Screwed intothe hollow' upper end of each cylinder isa spindle 25 journaled in arino` 26 that is itself mounted on the upper ends of vertical rods 27ysecured. in the base '10.

Journaled on a short depending extension 14 of the boss 14 is a gearwheel 28locked in place by the head or" the sleeve 18, said gear 28meshing with all of the pinions 24. Attached to a post 29 on theunderside of the gear 28 vis a pull cord or wire 30 guided outwardly from thepost v29 through a coil wire sleeve 3l mounted in a depending bracket 32attached to the under side of a ring plate l0 underlying and secured tothe base plate l0. The inner end of the guide sieeve 3l serves as a stopto limit the turn-V ing movement of the gear 28 to an extent whichsu'ilices to imparta half turn to each of the cylinders 22; and when thepull on the Wire is released, a spring 33 exerting its thrust againstthe post 29 automatically returns the gear E28 to initiall position, thepost 29 being arrested on its return movement by a fixed stop arm 29attached to the under side of the ring plate 10.

With the parts as shown in Fig. 3, the Colored half sections of thecylinders are all on the inner side of the curtain, while the uncoloredsections are on the outer side of the curtain. I-Ience, in this positionof the curtainy only the uncolorcd side of the latter is visible from apoint outside the curtain, and 'refiected light rays are uncolored.lVhen the signal is to be displayed, the driver pulls the wire 80outwardly, which instantly 'exposes' to external view the colored sideof the curtain, and this action may also close the switch through thelamp so as to light lli the latter. Thereupon the rays transmittedthrough the curtain are colored. If desired,

vthe circuit may includeA a manual switch which can be opened duringdaylight drivfing, so thatwhen the signal is manipulated Iduring t-hedaytime it will act by reiiected light only. I have not herein showncircuit actuating and controlling means, since the same means fullyshown and described in my former pat-,ent may be employed.

It is desirable in a device of this character that the curtain or canopyencircling the lamp and represented by the circular group of glasscylinders 22 should bar the transmission of any direct light raysbetween the units of the curtain; and to provide for this, I may makethe glass units in such a forni that adjacent units will cooperate toocclude any rays from the lamp seeking to pass between them. Forexample, in Fig. 4 I show .the individual curtain units formed withlongitudinal ribs 34 on rtheir peripheries, and the units set so closetogether that theribs of adjacent units will intermesh, althoughpreferably without actually coming into contact, in order to reducefriction to a minimum.

It is a known fact in optical science that certain colors presentdifferent appearances under 'natural light and artificial light.,respectively. For examples, blue andv green are readily distinguishablein daylight, ybut are almost or quite indistinguishable under artificiallight; and the same is true of orange and amber. VThis is capable ofcorrection by combining two colors or different lshades of a singlecolor. For example, in IFig. 5 I show a crosssectionof one of thecurtain members of Fig; 4-Wherein one secnesaars tion may be assumed tobewhite and the other section green. Between the meeting faces of t-hetivo sections is interposed a thin colorrectifying strip 85, in thiscase blue. The-n so constructed, the colored strip will exhibit the samecolor both by reflected day-- light and by transmitted artificial light.Hence, to preserve uniformity of color display in both daylight anddarkness, the units of the shiftable curtain or canopy are preferablyconstructed as last above described.

I claiml. In a signal device ofthe character de scribed, the combinationwith la lamp, of a curtain comprising a group of translucent memberspivoted side by side on parallel axes opposite said lamp, saidvmembershaving colored and uncolored portions on corresponding opposite sidesthereof respectively, and means for simultaneously rotating said membersthrough a half turn whereby to expose either of said portions to viewfrom a point on the opposite side of said curtain from said lamp.

2. In a signal device of the character described, the combination With alamp, of a curtain for said lamp comprising a circular group oftranslucent pieces pivotekd side by side on parallel axes encirclingsaid lamp, said pieces having colored and uncolored portions oncorresponding opposite sides thereof respectively, and means forsimultaneously rotating said pieces through equal angles whereby toexpose either ofr said portions to view from any point outside. saidcurtain.

3. In a signal device of the character described, the combination with alamp, of a curtain comprising a ygroup-of translucent cylinders pivotedside by side on parallel axes opposite said lamp, said cylinders havingcolored and uncolored portions on corresponding opposite sides thereofrespectively and provided with interfitting ribs on their peripheries toprevent light rays from the lamp passing between them, and means lforsimultaneously rotating said cylinders through a half turn whereby toexpose either of said portions to View from a point on the opposite sideof said curtain from said lamp.

4. In a signal device of the character described, the combination with alamp, of a curtaincomprising a group of translucent members pivotcd sideby side on parallel axes opposite said lamp, each of said membersconsisting of longitudinal halves of opalescent and. colored vglasssecured together, and means for simultaneously rotating said membersthrough a half turn to expose either said' opalescent or said coloredhalves to view from a point on the opposite side of said curtain fromsaid lamp.

5. In a signal device of the character described, the combination with.a lamp, of a i members pivoted side by side on parallel axes oppositesaid lamp, each of said members consisting of longitudinal halves ofopalescent and colored glass and a thin interposed color-rectifyingstrip secured together, and means for simultaneously rotating saidmembers through a half turn to expose either side of said curtain tovieW from a point en the opposite side of said curtain frein said lamp.

6. The Icombination, in a signal device, of a base member, a lampcentrally mounted on said base member, a circular group of uprighttranslucent members pivoted side by side on parallel axes around saidlamp, one longitudinal half of each of said members being colored andthe other uncolored, a central gear journaled on said base, pinions onsaid members meshing with said gear, and means for imparting limitedrotation in both directions to said gear.

7. The combination, in a signal device, of a base member, a lampcentrally mounted on said base member, a circular group of uprighttranslucent members pivoted side by side on parallel axes around saidlamp, one longitudinal half of each of said members being colored andthe other unicolored, a central gear journaled on said base, pinions onright translucent members pivoted Side by side on parallel axes aroundsaid lamp, one longitudinal half o1c each of said members being coloredand the other uncolored, a cen-l tral gear journaled on said base,pinions on said members meshing with said gear, a'pullv cord attached tosaid gear eccentrically of the latter to turn said gear in onedirection, a spring urging said gear in the reverse direction, andmovement limiting stops for both said pull cord and said spring.

9. ln a signal device of the ycharacter described, the combinationwvth alamp, of a curtain comprising a. group of translucent members eachhaving a colored and an uncolored side, and means for simultaneouslyshifting said members to expose either their colored sie es or theiruncolored sides to view from a point on the opposite side of saidcurtain from said lamb.

. vLaDIsLiiv AL'rMiiN.l

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